Technology

Vacuum Processing

AMS' vacuum deposition and etching technologies are applicable to a diverse selection of metallic and non-metallic films with a wide range of applicability:

  • High-permeability and high-moment magnetic materials
  • AMR and GMR structures with biasing and stabilization by permanent magnet
  • Conductor/resistor and dielectric films for various micro-components
  • High aspect ratio structures with deep reactive ion etching process
  • Release etching of sacrificial layers

 Most of our vacuum equipment is accommodated in a bulkhead structure in the clean room

Ion beam etcher – vacuum load locked – automated system with end-point detection.


A layered structure in a thin film magnetic reader revealed by FIB and SEM

A layered structure in a thin film magnetic reader revealed by FIB and SEM. Note the difference in the thickness in various layers.

 plan view of an integrated thin film tape head

A plan view of an integrated thin film tape head stabilized by permanent magnets (PM).

near-vertical wall structures by deep reactive ion etching (Bosch process)

Our optimized recipe produces near-vertical wall structures by deep reactive ion etching (Bosch process).